Power strips are well known and typically include a housing, a plurality of receptacles for the connection of electrical devices and an electrical power cord. The housing is usually a sheet metal or plastic enclosure with apertures for individually receiving the electrical receptacles and may also include switches, indicating lights, surge protection devices and fuses or circuit breakers.
Existing snap-in receptacles used in power strips rely strictly on the snap interface between the receptacle body and the sheet metal enclosure to hold the receptacle in place. Typically, the snap-in receptacle is inserted through an aperture in a power strip enclosure and engages a base which is connected to an electrical power source by two or three wires. The base is located inside the power strip enclosure and is secured in place by clips or retaining devices which engage the interior surface of the enclosure around the receptacle aperture. However, these retaining devices are often insufficient and a common problem with the power strips is retaining the receptacles in the enclosure when a plug is removed from the receptacle. If the plug is fitted too tightly into the receptacle, the force used to remove the plug results in the receptacle being pulled out of the power strip enclosure. Accordingly, there is a need for a snap-in receptacle that is more permanently secured in the power strip enclosure.